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DIESEL cars break down more often than their petrol counterparts and are more expensive to repair on average, according to new research from MotorEasy.

The warranty company’s year-long study of around 30,000 breakdowns involving vehicles between three and eight years old found that diesel cars were three times more likely to break down than petrol models.

The analysis also showed that the average engine repair bill for a diesel car was £517, as opposed to £433 on a petrol – a difference of 19 per cent.

The most costly diesel repair bill thrown up by the survey was a staggering £4,030.80. Alfa Romeo topped the list as the most unreliable brand at a 47 per cent failure rate.

The three other manufacturers with the most diesel engine failures were Land Rover at 41 per cent, Mitsubishi at 36 per cent and Saab at 33 per cent.

Duncan McClure Fisher, founder of MotorEasy, said: ‘Diesels experience many more smaller problems than petrol cars. They are less reliable, and when a big item goes wrong it costs a lot more to put right.

‘If you’re still considering a used diesel car, our advice is to avoid high-mileage examples, particularly if you are only driving low mileage or doing city driving.’